So GTC58, why the cut of 744-777 C&T conversions from 25 to 14 then?
Air China Cargo certainly do have 7x 744F's on-line. However, the plan is to move all of the CX BCF aircraft to Air China asap.
Air China Cargo operates already 7 B744F aircraft. I am sure they have their own trainers.
Yes they do for a fleet of 7 aircraft, but not for a fleet of 19. At the same time we have a surplus of crew on the 744.
The plan for CXF is obvious. The 6x 744ERF's will operate to Europe, the 6x original 744F's will basically take over the Classics role of the past couple of years flying around asia/australia/middle east, and the 10? 747-8F will be the transpacific freighter.
The more Junior C&T crew on the 744 will not be going anywhere for quite a few years, except perhaps for a happy secondment over the border.
744 passenger pilots will be moving to the 777 in good order, with NAM pilots the focus 2010/2011 and then European pilots 2011-2013. However, the dynamics for the 744 training cadre are quite different, and will be driven largely by the direction the 744 freighter is going.